I always thought that we would have problems if we at any time had multiple injuries. It must be remembered that the club had a big clean out of players pre-season. The draft selections are going to take a number of years before they will be ready to step up.
Additionally, most of our current injuries have been to on-ballers. Zaka had a fractured back and it has severely curtailed his normal running game. Watson came back after three weeeks from what is normally a seven week injury. Winderlich has been out for at least six weeks. Now it looks like we will lose Heppell. Hurley has been out for four weeks and without goalscoring midfielders our forward line has been totally disfunctional.
In the past we had players like Lonergan and Dyson, experienced players who could step in. We no longer have them.
Players that they hoped would step-up this season such as Brown and Kav have gone backwards.
I get frustrated the excuses supporters make for our dropping off the cliff every year. There is something fundementally wrong with this playing group, there has been for 5 years. A poor culture? poor leadership? dunno but ffs just fix it, its embarassing and extremley frustrating to put up with this same rubbish every year.
Injury and suspention to important players. I really think now that coachs have work out how to beat the bombers. However I do think that we are just not fighting for the ball. When we beat fero we never gave up and reallywe where fighting for every ball. WE ARE JUST NOT FIGHTING TO HAVE THE BALL AND KEEP THE BALL.
I get frustrated the excuses supporters make for our dropping off the cliff every year. There is something fundementally wrong with this playing group, there has been for 5 years. A poor culture? poor leadership? dunno but ffs just fix it, its embarassing and extremley frustrating to put up with this same rubbish every year.
I don't agree with this at all.
The playing group we have today is not the same as 5 years ago. Not even close.
Forget the Knights era, just look at the last 3 years under Hird. Year one, we had a new coaching panel and start under Hird & Thompson. Jimmy trained the group like animals in the preseason of which the playing group acknowledged, with the general consensus being we were a very unfit group. I believe we just ran out of steam at the end of the year. Yeah we snuck a few wins, but it wasn't the same as the start of the year.
Year 2 we had soft tissue injuries galore and lost a lot of our stars on and off all year especially towards the end when the wheels fell off and it all became too much.
This year has been well documented.
How does this come down to bad leadership and culture? That is a huge accusation to make and for me, just plain ridiculous. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the playing group. We're building our list and improving ever year despite the disgraceful scandal the players are having to put up with. I am really looking forward to a normal season and clear air without a grandstanding coaching panel, without weapons and without asada breathing down our necks to see our team flourish and become a real force. I believe they are up for it.
Personally think it's a cultural problem that has stuck around from the late Sheedy days, and lasted across 3 coaching regimes now.
I think the coaches have to take alot of the blame in that aspect, all of them. I believe they've all created an environment similar to the cricket team, where the in crowd get all the leeway in the world. those who aren't thought to be in the best 22 are basically treated like second class citizens.
Yes i say that full well knowing we don't get to see anywhere near the full picture of why and how players aren't picked, we see snippets and form opinions trying to join the dots.
But once you start playing favourites, for whatever reason, it's a cancer and it spreads, and kills any team moral we've built up early in seasons.
and before people say players should harden up, lets not forget our captain was ready to walk away from the club, if Sheedy continued on, due to his perceived bad treatment (which was prolly true) from the coach, so it can affect anyone and everyone.
That then snowballs and effects every part of the game.
Look at Geelong this year, I remember everyone asking how do they keep finding these great young players. They were playing well and given every oppotunity to do so.
Watching the VFL on the weekend, and there was about 4 or 5 of em back in the vfl playing. Why ?
because when anyone is in form, you pick them no matter what. when they aren't, you pick others who are in better form, than the guys you're replacing.
Again our perceived starting 22 is picked no matter what, on the basis of favourites. struggling with form or injury doesn't seem to matter, and you're played regardless.
I just don't think that sets a good example, and again morale plummits starting from there, to the point everything drops off dramatically.
You always say this, but rarely give more than one or two concrete examples across the year. Care to provide any?
Certainly we're mentally frail. But I think there's just a few mental ghosts in that. And a few guys who aren't strong, or good, enough to battle through when they're at 70 or 80% AND things start to go against them.
I get frustrated the excuses supporters make for our dropping off the cliff every year. There is something fundementally wrong with this playing group, there has been for 5 years. A poor culture? poor leadership? dunno but ffs just fix it, its embarassing and extremley frustrating to put up with this same rubbish every year.
I don't agree with this at all.
The playing group we have today is not the same as 5 years ago. Not even close.
Forget the Knights era, just look at the last 3 years under Hird. Year one, we had a new coaching panel and start under Hird & Thompson. Jimmy trained the group like animals in the preseason of which the playing group acknowledged, with the general consensus being we were a very unfit group. I believe we just ran out of steam at the end of the year. Yeah we snuck a few wins, but it wasn't the same as the start of the year.
Year 2 we had soft tissue injuries galore and lost a lot of our stars on and off all year especially towards the end when the wheels fell off and it all became too much.
This year has been well documented.
How does this come down to bad leadership and culture? That is a huge accusation to make and for me, just plain ridiculous. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the playing group. We're building our list and improving ever year despite the disgraceful scandal the players are having to put up with. I am really looking forward to a normal season and clear air without a grandstanding coaching panel, without weapons and without asada breathing down our necks to see our team flourish and become a real force. I believe they are up for it.
Not saying there's anything drastically wrong with our leadership, but it's miles off Hawthorn/Sydney/Geelong.
Look at the experience of their best 10 players, compared to ours. There's a gulf - that's where being a (comparatively) young list hurts. And I think a few of our guys maybe aren't vocal enough, don't feel they should or can direct teammates.
Wouldn't mind another Goddard TBH. Has relished the opportunity & responsibility.
It’s the curse that I brought into the country. I apologize
Last year we had an exchange student. She came the day we played Port, we won that came, but her flight landed at night. We didn’t win another game for the year.
A few weeks ago we got another exchange student. He came 3 days before the Hawks game. We haven’t won since.
*not serious post follows
It's the curse that I brought into the country. I apologize :(
Last year we had an exchange student. She came the day we played Port, we won that came, but her flight landed at night. We didn't win another game for the year.
A few weeks ago we got another exchange student. He came 3 days before the Hawks game. We haven't won since.
Coincidence? I think not...
*not serious post follows
It's the curse that I brought into the country. I apologize :(
Last year we had an exchange student. She came the day we played Port, we won that came, but her flight landed at night. We didn't win another game for the year.
A few weeks ago we got another exchange student. He came 3 days before the Hawks game. We haven't won since.
Coincidence? I think not...
Not serious !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe in this stuff; and because I didn't wear by lucky socks to the Hawks game, I had thought it was my fault that the losses began. Now we know the truth.
There are a number of reasons our form has completely dropped away.
The players fitness levels: been an issue late in the season, for many years. Might also be a psychological effect that the players just expect that the club is always poor at this stage in the year.
The coaches: coaching is not their priority at the moment. I’m not just talking about on game day. But during the week, the coaches are not prepared. Which means the players are not prepared. As such there is currently no consistency in preparation prior to the match. The coaches are exhausted. They’re ability to coach on match day is probably sitting around 50%.
Players resilience: the confidence of the players is non-existent. The resilience in the players is all but gone. Fighting for the club on match day has become all too hard and exhausting. As soon as we have. A 5 minute poor patch during a match, the side has already conceded the game is finished. I don’t the boys are enjoying their football ATM.
I can’t see us turning it around this year. There is just far too much battle against.
The players need a long holiday this preseason. They deserve it.
*not serious post follows
It's the curse that I brought into the country. I apologize :(
Last year we had an exchange student. She came the day we played Port, we won that came, but her flight landed at night. We didn't win another game for the year.
A few weeks ago we got another exchange student. He came 3 days before the Hawks game. We haven't won since.
Coincidence? I think not...
Not serious !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe in this stuff; and because I didn't wear by lucky socks to the Hawks game, I had thought it was my fault that the losses began. Now we know the truth.
Send her to live in Carlton now.
I think I am doing my part by making these students Essendon supporters but if we ever host again I will let dad convert them to Collingwood supporters.
